- Europoort
Europoort ("Eurogate", also "Europort") is a
harbour ofRotterdam and the adjoiningindustrial area in theNetherlands . Being situated at the mouth of the riversRhine andMeuse with thehinterland consisting of the Netherlands,Germany ,Belgium and partlyFrance , Europoort is one of theworld's busiest port s and considered a major entry to Europe.The Europoort area is very heavily industrialised with petrochemical refineries and storage tanks, bulk iron ore and coal handling as well as container and new motor vehicle terminals.
Development of Europoort
Rotterdam has developed from a small town into a major harbour city. In earlier centuries, docks were built on the banks of theNieuwe Maas river. In the 19th century, connections between Rotterdam and theNorth Sea were poor, with a largeestuary /delta area with many smallwaterway s between them. Ships had to sail aroundVoorne-Putten to go out to sea. This could take several days or even weeks.To improve the situation, the "
Nieuwe Waterweg " ("New Waterway"), a large canal, was designed to connect theRhine andMeuse rivers to the sea. The "Nieuwe Waterweg" was designed to be partly dug, then to further deepen the canal bed by the natural flow of the water. Ultimately however, the last part had to be dug also. Nevertheless, Rotterdam from now on had a connection between the sea and harbour areas with sufficient depth. The "Nieuwe Waterweg" has since been deepened several times.Over the years the port was further developed seaward by building new docks and harbour-basins. In the 1970s the port was extended into the sea at the south side of the mouth of the Nieuwe Waterweg by completion of the "
Maasvlakte " (Meuse-plain), a large land reclamation area with even more refineries and storage tanks. This project was called "Europoort", literally the "Gate to Europe". Currently, plans are being developed to extend Europoort even further seaward with theTweede Maasvlakte (Second Meuse-plain).In the past five years the industrialized skyline has been changed by the addition of large numbers of
wind turbine s taking advantage of the exposed coastal conditions.Factors for Europoort's success
The most important factor contributing to the large amount of cargo shipping in and out of Europort is the presence of the
Meuse andRhine rivers. Through these rivers, Europoort is connected to theRuhr Area inGermany as well asSwitzerland ,Belgium andFrance . Furthermore, Europoort is connected to its rival, the port ofAntwerp by the Rhine-Scheldt-canal. Adding to its transit-function, Rotterdam is connected to Germany by the A15 highway and a railway-network. In 2007, an extra railway connection (the "Betuweroute ") has been completed to create an extra connection to the Ruhr area.The P&O passenger/car/lorry overnight
ferry service to Hull, England, operates from Europoort using the world's largest ferries: thePride of Rotterdam and thePride of Hull .ee also
*
Port of Rotterdam External links
*Maps (select "plattegrond"):
**Europoort [http://www.voorne-putten.nl/europoort/]
**Maasvlakte [http://www.voorne-putten.nl/maasvlakte/]
**Rozenburg [http://www.voorne-putten.nl/rozenburg/]
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